One huge project on the list was getting the hay put away the goats would need to get them through the winter. We are so blessed to have a barn already set up for hay storage so that wasn’t too difficult. But with the late season drought finding hay was a bit more difficult then I would have thought. Finally we found a neighbor with some hay available for purchase. He drove his hay wagon over Saturday night and we agreed to unload it, count it and pay him later.

You would be amazed how much entertainment that wagon gave the children. For the 2 older ones, literally hours. Proeun would say, “are they still over at the hay wagon?” already knowing the answer and giving a little shake of his head and a chuckle.
 

But it was not to last. We did have to unload.

Special thanks to my big strong husband who unloaded the wagon by himself. Each of those bales weighed 50 pounds and there were 69 of them! I supervised and watched the children, who loved getting in the way.

Admittedly not the best quality picture photographically speaking but when you are trying to capture a moment before it passes you use what you got.

But first things first. There is a bit of clean up and a few winter projects left that hopefully will get done in the next couple of weeks while it’s still possible to work comfortably outside.

I also am winding down my physical involvment as our due date approaches. But I had one “big” project I had to finish–the birthday crowns from Soule Mama’s The Creative Family. I have been wanting to make some for the kids for awhile. I bought felt like almost a year ago for it. So when Avril was trying to make a crown out of paper last weekend and it wasn’t working out too well I said absentmindly that I could make her one. Not realizing I would actually be making four. Then with the last week of delivery and scrambling to clean up I have been exhausted and this pregnant mama has not felt like sewing. Finally I got them done.
 

As winter approaches and I become more pregnant I couldn’t imagine trying to trek all the way out to check on him let alone clear a path. But how would we move his house?

Luckily my husband is a master at making do with what you have–Caleb’s house was built entirely of found material. So he came up with the idea of using round tent posts, lifting the house on to the posts and “rolling” it to the new location ala “caveman” as he put it. Later we actually saw this technique used with a log cabin on TV, but Proeun came up with it first I promise you!

So this weekend Caleb got a move into a new location.
 

Here they are coming down the trail and making the turn to head off into the woods. Proeun and his dad pushing and Avril supervising making sure to tell them loudly when they were at the end of logs. The other girls safely in the house being supervised by Two and me documenting.
 

After the house everything else was easy.
 

Yesterday I added some extra cooking, granola and roasted almonds,in the afternoon. Then while dinner cooked out to deworming the goats (its been a horrible year for parasites). Proeun called and I actually had to tell him, “Sorry honey I can’t talk to you right now I am deworming goats.” Never thought I would have to say that.

Then after dinner, settle down with a quick story and then bed for the kids. At some point in the day I was comparing my life with what it could be. If I had chosen a more traditional life with a career outside the home, 2 children and a nice little house in the suburbs I probably would have more free time, more down time. But as I was cooking dinner I thought about a quote I read somewhere about dogs and how dogs actually like to have a job to do. I guess I do to. I like to have things to do; and I especially like to be engaged in meaningful actitivies. There are plenty of those on the farm. Small acts like deworming the goats contributes to the overall health of the farm–same with cooking meals.

The fields look a little different now. But still lots of goodness out there. Pretty much everything has been harvested except for the greens which are holding up quite well despite the frost. I am loving the potatoes, onions, squash and apples that are daily staples now around the farm and learning all sorts of good ways to cook greens.

The trail out to the field, a pleasure in any season.

My favorite spot on the farm, our own little wetlands. I love the wildlife around the area and the change of scenery. When we were first looking for a property and I was imagining my dream property it included fields, woods, trails and a pond. Well we have everything but the pond, however this comes pretty close.
 

Some things don’t change. Bruce, aka the boss still strutting his stuff for his ladies.